A number of catalyst preparations have been suggested for use to improve fossil fuel combustion in both automotive engines and oil-fired heating systems and furnaces. Such catalysts have been indicated to increase fuel efficiency when directly injected into the combustion chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 2,460,700 to Lyons dated Feb. 1, 1949 suggests the use of a number of catalytic metal compounds which can be dissolved or dispersed in an internal coolant liquid and then introduced into a combustion chamber. In an improvement of the Lyons teaching, certain platinum group metal catalysts are disclosed in a particular system in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 163,865 filed June 27, 1980 U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,816, entitled Catalyst Delivery System.
Prior art catalyst solutions particularly when used for automotive engines are subject to freezing problems in certain environments. For example, when water solutions are used, the solutions tend to freeze at 0.degree. F. or lower freezing temperatures often encountered in standard environmental conditions. There has been some difficulty in preventing such freezing. Lyons does mention the use of certain alcohols or glycols in catalyst solutions. However, it has been found that when alcohols or glycols are added to platinum group metal compounds, a reaction often occurs which renders the solutions unsuitable for use in catalyzing internal combustion engine and furnace processes. Such reaction between alcohols and/or glycols and the platinum group metal compound is highly undesirable and can prevent use of systems in freezing environmental conditions.